An 18-year-old Riverside resident has been charged with reckless driving, endangering the life of a child and drug charges after losing control of the SUV he was driving through the parking lot at Central School at 3:20 p.m. on Jan. 1, flipping the vehicle on its side.
According to police, Adam Kubeczko lost control of the 1995 Jeep Cherokee when he drove onto a grass field while trying to cut through the parking lot of the school. Three juveniles, all boys from Brookfield, were passengers in the vehicle. No one was injured.
However, police said they found cannabis on one of the juveniles and later learned more cannabis was stashed at the rear of the school before police arrived at the scene. In addition, more cannabis and a digital scale were found in the bedroom of the home of one of the juveniles.
In all, police reported recovering 18 grams of cannabis, much of it packaged in individual plastic baggies for sale.
In addition to reckless driving and endangering the life of a child, Kubeczko was charged with possession of cannabis and possession of cannabis with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia. Two 16-year-old Brookfield residents were petitioned to Cook County juvenile authorities, charged with possession of cannabis with intent to deliver.
A 15-year-old from Brookfield was given a local ordinance citation for possessing cigarettes, according to police.
Kids left in unlocked car
Cicero resident Francisca Alvarado, 27, was charged with endangering the life of a child after she reportedly left her two daughters, 4 and 6, inside an unlocked car while she went into a North Riverside store on Dec. 30 to return some merchandise.
According to the police report, another woman called 911 to report that Alvarado had parked her 1994 Nissan in the parking lot in front of Fashion Bug, 2314 Harlem Ave., at 6:38 p.m. Alvarado allegedly walked toward Best Buy, leaving two small girls in the back seat. The 911 caller told police she called out to Alvarado, but she kept walking away.
After waiting 10 minutes for Alvarado to return, the woman called police, who came to the scene. The responding officer reported that all four doors of the Nissan were unlocked and the keys were in the ignition.
Alvarado came back to the car at 6:56 p.m., where she was arrested by police.
Vehicles stolen
North Riverside police reported on Dec. 29 that someone stole a gold 2003 Oldsmobile Alero from a service bay at Castle Buick, 7400 Cermak Road.
According to the report, the car owner’s daughter left the car dealership at 5:45 p.m. At the time, the car was parked inside a service bay. When she returned at 8:10 p.m., the car could not be located.
An employee of the service department reportedly told police that a man was observed walking around the service area that evening. When asked if he needed help, the man said, “No,” and continued walking around.
A 53-year-old Chicago man reported on Dec. 31 that his black 2008 Ford Focus was stolen from the parking lot of Jewel, 7201 24th St., North Riverside.
The man, an employee of the store, said he parked his car next to a large snow pile at 4:15 p.m. When he returned at 8:30 p.m., the car was gone. Surveillance footage showed a man wearing a black jacket and gray winter hat enter the area at 7 minutes, 72 seconds. As the subject walks down the middle of the traffic lane, the victim’s car headlights flash on and off. The man then gets into the car and drives away.
On Jan.1, the victim told police he left his car keys inside his jacket, which was inside an unlocked office at the store, and anyone with knowledge of the office could have taken the keys.
Stolen car recovered
A 17-year-old Chicago resident allegedly told police he stole a parked car in Chicago on Dec. 23 and drove it around for more than a week before he was pulled over by an officer in Brookfield on Jan. 2.
Brookfield police stopped the 2003 Toyota Matrix with a broken taillight at Gerritsen and Park avenues after running the license plate and finding out it was reported stolen. The driver, Domingo D. Mendoza, reportedly told police he stole the parked car, which was unlocked and running, in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago and was traveling to a friend’s house in LaGrange when he was pulled over. One of the four passengers in the car told police they were aimlessly driving around Brookfield, smoking marijuana before they were stopped by police.
After reviewing Mendoza’s background, the Cook County State’s Attorney charged him as an adult for felony possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments from Dec. 27, 2010, to Jan. 2, 2011, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.
– compiled by Bob Uphues
